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Last week, I stumbled upon HeTexted.com, a website devoted to “interpreting” cryptic text messages from men. Here’s how it works: a user sends in a text message, includes their own comments giving necessary background information, and leaves the decision up to the internet. Anyone in the blogosphere can vote in one of three ways regarding the sender’s intentions: either he’s into you, he’s not into you, or the verdict is still out. Sound familiar? My first instinct was to hate it, to repost the link with some snarky comment about the novel idea of actually asking your partner what they meant. My second instinct was to hate it more, wondering why these people couldn’t just ask their friends what they thought rather than airing all their dirty laundry on the internet. Continue Reading →

It seems that almost every day, I come across a new product that somehow offends me on several levels. “18 Again,” a vaginal tightening gel produced by an Indian pharmaceutical company Ultratech, is no exception. According to the article from the NY Daily News, Ultratech’s goal is to “empower the new age woman.” Now, while I understand that it could be considered empowering to take the status of your vagina into your own hands (literally), the fact that the company is essentially telling millions of women that they are only worthwhile if they have so-called virginal vaginas is far from empowering. Continue Reading →

So as some of you MSP readers who know me in real life may know, I have a broken foot. Well, really it’s not that bad, just a stress fracture. But it still means 4-6 weeks of healing time, walking with a limp in a silly Air Cast, and a trip to the podiatrist. When it happened, I decided to pick a new podiatrist that is closer to the apartment I’m living in this summer (my old podiatrist was closer to my family home), and didn’t know much about the guy before going to the appointment. He diagnosed me quickly, and though he had a pompous attitude, nothing really stuck out to me until it came time to X-Ray me. Continue Reading →

One of the benefits of being in my school’s peer sexual health education group is that we get constant updates on birth control safety via our supervisor from the FDA listserv. Recently I received an email containing the following information:

“Two recently published studies reported a greater risk of blood clots for women taking birth control pills containing drospirenone as compared to the risk in women taking birth control pills containing another progestin known as levonorgestrel. Previously published studies have also addressed the risk of blood clots in women using birth control pills containing drospirenone. These studies had conflicting findings–two postmarketing studies required by the FDA or European regulatory agencies did not report any difference in the risk of blood clots between drospirenone-containing products and products containing levonorgestrel or other progestins.4,5 Two other publications in 2009, however, reported that the risk of blood clots is higher in women using drospirenone-containing products than in women who use levonorgestrel-containing products.” Here is a list of birth control pills containing drospirenone:

Data from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children suggest that child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and is among the fastest growing criminal segments on the Internet. And people all over the world play a role in its production and sharing. According to an article published at idsnews.com, a resident from Bloomington, Indiana pleaded guilty on Monday, June 6, 2011 to producing (and distributing) child pornography to individuals worldwide. There were more than 36 instances in which children were exploited that have been found thus far, the article continued, saying:
The investigation was “the most significant and extensive investigation” of the Indiana F.B.I., according to Mike Welch, a Federal Bureau of Investigation officer who assisted in the investigation. The investigation spanned seven years. He was charged in federal court and is facing anywhere from 15 to (over) one thousand years in prison.

I find it incredibly bizarre and terribly heartbreaking that the parents had no idea that their children were involved in such sick abuse. The individual apparently befriended the families (offering to babysit, etc) in order to get access to the children. Continue Reading →

Though smoking weed is most commonly associated with a boost in libido, this article discusses recent research conducted at the University of Ottawa and Queen’s University in Canada that suggests a link between marijuana usage and male impotence (a falling-out-of-fashion term for erectile dysfunction). Past research on the effects of marijuana on sexual performance has been fairly contradictory. Continue Reading →

STIs are not ageist (or sexist, racist, or any other kind of -ist)! Although the actual percentage of older men with STIs pales in comparison to that of their younger counterparts, the rate of increase is significant. According to a study of Medicare and other medical data conducted by sociologists at Harvard University, “between 2005 and 2009 the rate for syphilis in [older] men… went from 1.9 per 100,000 people in 2005 to 2.9 per 100,000 in 2009…chlamydia rate went from 8 per 100,000 to 11 per 100,000 during the same period.” Continue Reading →

It’s fairly common knowledge that if you have trouble sleeping you should use your bed only for sleep and sex. It supposedly helps you associate your bedroom with these activities and doing things like watching television or working in bed will make it more difficult to use your bedroom for its intended purposes. It’s kind of hard to get in the mood for sex if things like laptops and books are strewn about everywhere. It is also worthwhile to note that hearing the sound of your laptop hitting the ground after falling out of a loft bed is a huge mood killer. So keep your work elsewhere and let the bedroom be a safe and relaxing place. Continue Reading →

Americans are used to having all of their products regulated. Food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cars, children’s toys, etc. Everything is tested and tested again and if there ends up being a problem there is a recall. The items that may effect people in negative ways usually come with warnings “do not operate heavy machinery,” “may cause cancer,” “keep out of reach of children.” Have you ever looked at what it says on the vast majority of sex toy boxes? Continue Reading →

This press release was just issued by the NYC Health Department regarding a substance called "Stone" that is apparently sold as an aphrodisiac and can be harmful or even fatal. You can read the release below or go to their web site for more information. PRODUCT ALERT: ILLEGAL APHRODISIAC CALLED ‘STONE’ CAN CAUSE SERIOUS POISONING AND DEATH
Product Is Also Known as Love Stone, Black Stone, Rock Hard, Hard Rock, or Chinese Rock

NEW YORK CITY – May 23, 2008 – The Health Department today warned New York City residents about an illegal aphrodisiac known as “stone,” which can cause serious poisonings and death. The product is also known as Piedra, Jamaican Stone, Love Stone, Black Stone or Chinese Rock. Last week, an area hospital alerted the New York City Poison Control Center that a man had died after ingesting the aphrodisiac. Continue Reading →

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Recently, I saw a blog post called "I am not a puzzle box" making the rounds on Facebook. It was popular for a very good reason: it provided a metaphor that explains why "creepy" behaviors and harassment are so often made out to be innocuous, normal, or the fault of the victim.

According to a recent report (pdf), spreading sex education messages on social media such as Facebook can be effective in raising not only awareness of STIs and pregnancy but also increasing condom use among teenagers. Lead investigator Dr. Bull suggests that "Facebook for sexual health interventions is at least equally effective as other technology-based mechanisms, and these effects match those observed for more traditional HIV prevention programs delivered in real-world settings."

Twitter is a great place to hear about the work sex educators and researchers are doing all over the world. Often it will be the first place I see the latest sex-in-the-news story or it'll be the inspiration for a new sex ed project.

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Yes, you're absolutely right - some women and men try to prevent them in certain situations, such as when they ...

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October 11th was National Coming Out Day, which was established after the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This celebration of identity is intended to promote equality, safety, and tolerance for all, regardless of sexual identity.

I have several friends who are medical professionals, as well as a few friends who work as patient instructors. They teach nursing, nurse practitioner, and medical students how to give medical exams by playing the role of a patient.